Like air traffic, information flows through neuron 'hubs' in the brain

70 percent of all information within cortical regions in the brain passes through only 20 percent of its regions' neurons, report researchers. The scientists report these high-traffic "hub neurons" could play a role in understanding brain health since this sort of highly efficient network -- in which a small number of neurons are more essential to brain function -- is also more vulnerable to disruption. That's because relatively small breakages can cause the whole system to "go down."